Mattingly bears Yanks no ill will

"I pretty much threw myself 100 percent into it," he said. "But you get up and move on."

After 18 years in Yankees pinstripes, Mattingly is just that — disappointed, but not angry, and ready to manage somewhere in the majors.

Passed over by the Yankees when new manager Joe Girardi was picked to replace Torre, Mattingly said yesterday he appreciated the opportunity to interview and was grateful for his time in New York.

The West Coast may be where he's heading now, especially if the Los Angeles Dodgers hire Torre to replace Grady Little, who resigned.

Mattingly said he was never promised the manager's job by owner George Steinbrenner.

"I was never, ever guaranteed anything. Mr. Steinbrenner never said, 'Donnie come back, you're going to be the next manager,'" Mattingly said. "You have to earn your place and prove that you can do something, and I have no problems with that."

Once Girardi was offered the job, Mattingly told the Yankees he had no interest in coming back as a coach.

"I don't feel any ill will. I'm not sitting here — vengeance is not running through me at all," Mattingly said. "Trust me, I'm not all of a sudden going to start rooting for the Red Sox."

He said the Yankees' decision "freed me up" to explore opportunities elsewhere.

"I'm sure it's going to be something different for me," Mattingly added. "The easiest thing is to stay in the comfort zone. ... At some point you have to get to know new people. That point is exciting for me."

Before Little resigned, Mattingly was asked about hooking up with Torre again as a bench coach.

"I haven't seen that Joe's managing anywhere or going anywhere, so it's hard for me to answer that question," Mattingly said. "It's not a situation that I'm prepared to talk about."

But he didn't rule out that scenario.

"I think everyone knows how I feel about Joe. I have a ton of respect. He's helped me in so many different ways," Mattingly said. "If something would happen with Joe and he would want me to be a part of that, I'll make that decision."

The 46-year-old Mattingly has never managed at any level, while Girardi was the 2006 NL manager of the year for keeping a rookie-laden Florida Marlins team in contention most of the season.

That difference in experience was one of several elements that factored into the Yankees' selection, general manager Brian Cashman said.

"I understand the decision. I have no problems with that," Mattingly said. "But that being said, that doesn't deter me from what I think I'm capable of doing.

"Could I have got it? Am I capable of it? In my mind, not a doubt."

The former slugger said Cashman "basically" told him he wanted Mattingly back as bench coach, and Mattingly thought Girardi probably would have agreed to that.

But Mattingly ruled out coaching for the Yankees next season because he thought it wouldn't be fair to any new manager if he were still on staff. It could lead to too much speculation and second-guessing.

"I just don't think it's the right thing for me at this point," he said.